Hired to do trade specific work. I was asked to pull MEP permit for Cannabis facility. Am I now forced to be the GC?

I hold a "B" license for General Contractors in California. I was hired by a tenant in Long Beach, CA and signed a contract for $54,000 to install Drywall, Insulation, paint and electric. The contracting company is in New York. They asked if I would pull permits for the job on their behalf. This was asked after we signed the contract and was to be paid separately from our contracted price. Since the permit was for a Cannabis manufacturing facility, I was told that an all inclusive MEP permit had to be pulled. I am now being told that the moment I pulled those permits, I inadvertently became the GC for the job and became fully responsible for the both the HVAC and Plumbing work completed even though they each had separate contracts. We have been waiting months for these contractors to finish so we could complete our share of the contract. The building manager/owner, not sure which, is now telling me that he wants to take over the job. He wants me to sign over the permits in his name and is refusing to pay for work completed and materials provided. We would also lose about $20,000 in upcoming work. He also claims that the Tenant never had a signed authorization from him to complete said renovations. Where does that leave me? I am currently due a draw of $17,000. The owner/manager is refusing to let me complete our contract and the tenant is terrified of him. Did we become the GC by pulling the MEP permits? Can we stop all work on the project at this time since we did pull the permit? What would be the best way to resolve this issue?